Striping attachment for circular-knitting machines



1 646,905 Oct. 25, 1927. E- T LOYD V,

STRIPXNG ATTACHMENT FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 29. 1926 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Earl 7770mm F/ayd, 3mm

Oct. 25,1927. 7

1,646,905 E. T. FLOYD STRIPING ATTACHMENT FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 29, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

fiar/ Thomas Flo d Q M Patented Oct. 25, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EARL THOMAS FLOYD, OF NEAR TEMPLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE N OLDE ANI) HORST COMPANY, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- ZEYLVANIA.

fiTRIPING- ATTACHMENT FOROIRCULAR-KNITTING' MACHINES.

Application filed April 29,

My invention relates to improvements in vertical striping mechanism for circular knitting machines of the type more fully shown and described in the U. S. Letters Patents to Frank W. Robinson Nos. 1,077,304, of November 4, 1913, 1,203,131, of Oct. 31, 1916, and 1,357,254, ofNov. 2, 1920. And more particularly it consists in a selective plurality of means for determinedly imparting and controlling needle-engaging swings to the several striping thread fingers employed, whereby a maximum variety of stripes both continuous and interrupted and of various widths and conformation, may be readily and automatically produced. My invention is fully described in connection with the following drawing, reference to which will be more fully made, and the novel features are set forth in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in longitudinal section, showing an embodiment of my improvements as applied to a known form of circular knitting machines.

Figs. 2 to 5 are perspective viewsshow ing variant forms of means within the spirit of my invention,for imparting needle swings to the thread guide finger.

Referring to. Fig. 1, the needle cylinder 2, needles 3, cam cylinder 1 and frame or bedplate 5, are parts of a known circular knitting machine in which the cam cylinder 1 is rotated, While the needlecylinder 2 is held against rotation. A fixed bracket 8, mounted on the frame 5, supports a fingercarrying head in axially adjusted suspension above the needles 3, by means of stem portion 11 engaged in the apertured end 9 of said bracket; fixed collar 12 positioning said head in lowered operative position and set screw 13 retaining said head when raised out of operative position.

Mounted around the periphery of the head 10, are a circular series of striping thread fingers 21, each having a'universa-Ljoint suspension in a bearing block 22 fixed to said head 10 and each of said fingers 21 carrying an independent striping or embroidery thread 15, in its depending needle-engaging end 20, which threads are wrapped about determined needles and interknit with the regular loops on the latter when successive needle-engaging swings are lmparted to each finger end in the manner set forth insaid 1926. Serial No. 105,596.

prior Robinson tioned Such known needlaen'gaging swinging movement of each finger end has heretofore been imparted by a cam 30, rotatably carried by cam cylinder 4, acting upon a pair of rollers 27,28 carried at the free end of a carrier member 25 rigidly projecting laterally from the universal suspension point of each finger 21; said cam acting, in passing said rollers and in conjunction with some form of retracting spring as 31, to swing said finger end 20 through the circle of needles 3, along the outside of the latter to include a determined number of needles to be wrapped, back through the circle of needles, and return within the circle of needles to the startingpoint. This swingpatents heretofore mening movement, as controlled by some form of means for determinedlyvarying the same in successive rotations of the cam 4, as devices 35, similar to that shown and described in Patent 1,203,131 before referred to, has long been employed in producing plaited or embroidery stripes on the knitted fabric. q

Inherent defects in the construction thus briefly described and long employed, have limited the number of striping fingers2l that may be employed in the necessarily re- 1 stricted circumference of the circle of needles 3, and also limited the individual control of the several fingers, requiringinventive in genuity and radical rebuilding of the striping attachment to producestripes of various designs, which for purposes of economy should be produced on a single machine by mere readjustment of readily set cam-engaging members and pattern-chain lugs.

lVith such universal possibilities of a strip:

ing attachment in mind, my improvements comprise theuse of a plurality ofactuating cams 30, 30,30, each arranged to act in a different horizontal plane, and each cam movable into and out of finger-operating H position as controlled from a. pattern chain or drum 62; the lugs of the latter, in the simple arrangement indicated in Fig. 1, acting on levers 56, 56 5 6", which in turn p-roject retracted rods 51, 54, 5 1", and: the latter acting through respective star-wheel cams 65, 65, 65 to swing levers 53, 53", 53

connected respectively to the earns 30, 30',

30" carried in bracket 66 secured to rotated cam cylinder 4. r j I I With such plurality 'of cams 30, 30, 30

acting in different planes, my improvements consist further in providing each finger 21 with" meansbywhich it may be acted-upon by any one or all said cams in successive r tation to impart a determined needle-engaging swing to its depending'end 20. Such means may be effected in various ways: For

instance, to the right in Fig. 1, and in Fig.

2 I have indicated the rollers 27 and 28,

with their supporting plate 271, as provided with a stem which may be secured to car IIGFH'IGIHbBl 25 pro ecting laterally from the universal suspension point of finger 21, or

to similar= members 25 0125 projecting laterally from the finger 21 respectively above and below member 25.

such rollers. 27%28 may be employed 'atone Three sets of time, or two sets, or a singie set, as-required, but= each set when secured toits remay be actuated in successiverotations of the cylinder 4t by anyone of cams 30, 30, 30" soastoainpart a needle-engaging swing to lts dependilng end 20. And by arranging adjacent fingers 21 with'but a single set of rollers27-28each in a different plane to be acted upon-by one of the three simultaneously' projected camsSO, 30, or 3t), a very close'arrangement'of tlie fingers is possible permitting additional vertical stripes not.

possibl heretofore'.

Fig. 3', and modified manner fonmouiiting said'rollers 2728=in any} or all Lthecam planes.

FigIFshbws the-members 25 and 25 ton:

nected bya strip 273, and'the rollers 27-28 mountedon plates 2.7 lreadily secured to or removedfroni the strip 27 3 as desired;

Fig: 5 showsstrip 273 of Fig-.- 4; secured to member 25 only, and indicates three rollers to impart a f greater swing, to right and -left ofa center rest, similar to the showing of Patent1,203,131 heretofore mentioned; "This Fig: 5 also indicates that instead of the sin gle -needle engaging end 20 of finger 21, the

enclfi'o-f' the latter may bevmade removable anda-double or triple prong finger 20 subbe separately: shifted to vary the needle" The I fingereswingf limiting" devices '35. 35, lIldlCittd, are similar tOfthat shown in Patwillcontrol certain fingers 21, and each may swingsof its respective fingers as heretofore,

to theleft of Fig.- 1', shows-a of carrying the rolls 27 128, ap'late- 272 being secured to member 25 and being of "sufficient height, to provide by its respective rod 36 or 36 the latter being controlled frompattern chain 62 through itsrespective'rod 50, or 50 acting onitsconnected cross arm-37 or 87 Both devices 35? 35 may be suspended below the fingerecarry; ingh'ead '10 as shown, or one or an additional ployed above the latter somewhat in the manner disclosed in-Patent.1,357,25l; heretofore mentioned.

By properv employment of sets of rollers 27-28 and manipulation of cams 30, 30', and 30, together with ad-justedulugs on chain 62 to -cooperatively-control devicesBEi, 35-, a great variety ofipatterns may be pros ducedon the one-machine by iniere readjust-4 third'device 35 (not'sl'iownlmay be emmentof readily interchangeable parts; anda by usingdifl erentpron'ged finger ends 20 and other modifications suggested in the several Robinsonpatents referred to, and other: I known means of similar nature, anrintinite-r flexibility of the'machine is providedfor, as-

well as increase the: number ofstripes pro= ducible as-heretoforeset forth. Whilethe drawingsshow arotated cam cylinderl l andfiXe'd needle cylinder 2, it is obviousthat with slight changes known in l the art, the cylinder 4 may: be fiXBCl and the knitting cyl-z inderrotated, iii-such lattercase the fingers 21 being rotated with the latter, and thecams 30, 30, 30 held"stationary. Other modifivations within'the spirit of the invention may readily be made.

What IClttllD is:

1. A vertical stripingniechanismfor cire cularknitting machines com-prising a striping thread linger "having a universal-joint suspension point; and ia plurality of finger-l operating cams arranged in parallel hori i zontal planes; said finger having rigid-laterally extending carrier mean-s and= spaced-l apart 1 cam-engaging 1 projections attachable to said carrier means in one or another of the cam planes.

"2. A" vertical stripingmechanism 1 for oii'a culaiw knitting machines comprising a strip' ing thread"fir'i'ger having a-uiriversal joint suspension point, anda plurality of finger operating cams arranged inparallel horizontal planes said filigerh'aving rigid later ally extending carrier means 1 and spaced apart carn 'engaging projections attached tosaid carrier means in different planescor-re-- spending with the different cam" planes;

3. 'A verticalstriping"mechanism for cir-a cular knitting machines comprising 3 13111 rality of striping threadnfingers havmg in CllVlCltlttl' un versaloint suspension points lying incommonlliorizontalplane,'and a.

plurality of finger-operating cams arranged" '7 in "parallel liorizontal planes, each of said" cut-1,203,131, aforesaid, andeach device 35 fingersv having; a rigid'member extending the projections of the several 1 fingers being variously arranged in relation to the cam planes.

4. A vertical striping mechanism for circular knitting machines comprising a circular series of striping thread fingers having individual universal-joint suspension points lying in a common horizontal plane, and a plurality of finger-operating cams arranged in parallel horizontal planes and each selectively movable into and out of operative position, each of said fingers having a rigid member extended laterally therefrom, and spaced-apart cam-engaging projections at tachable thereto in one or another of the cam planes.

5. A vertical stripin, o mechanism for circular knitting machines comprising a circular series of striping thread fingers having individual universal-joint suspension points lying in a common horizontal plane, and a plurality of finger-operating cams arranged in parallel horizontal planes and each selectively movable into and out of operative position; each of said fingers having a rigid member extended laterally therefrom and carrying a plurality of spaced-apart cam-engaging projections the projections of the several fingers being determinedly arranged in one or another of the cam planes.

6. A Vertical striping mechanism for circular knitting machines comprising a plurality of striping thread fingers having in dividual universal-joint suspension points lying in a common plane, and a plurality of movable finger-operating cams arranged in parallel horizontal planes, means for selectively moving said cams into and out of operative positions, variable stops to limit the needle-engaging swing 01" individual fingers and means to determinedly vary the same, and each of said fingers having a rigid carrier member extended laterally therefrom, and spaced-apart cam-engaging projections attachable to said member in one or another of the cam planes.

'7. In combination with a knitting machine having a circular series of knitting needles, of a striping mechanism comprising a fingercarrying head axially suspended above said needles, a circular series of striping thread fingers having individual universal-j oint suspension bearings on said head, and each finger having a rigid member extended laterally theretrom whereby needle engaging swings may be imparted to the free ends of said fingers, vertically movable stops to variably control such needle-engaging swings of individual lingers and automatic means for determinedly controlling the same, a plurality of finger-operating cams arranged in different horizontal planes, automatic means for determinedly moving said cams into and out of operative position, and spaced-apart cam-engaging projections attached to said laterally projected finger members in different planes corresponding with the different cam planes.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature.

EARL T. FLOYD. 

